OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent and patterns of alcohol consumption by the rural population aged 65 years and over in Arizona; to determine the correlates of alcohol usage that have particular significance for rural areas; and to determine the significance of the norms and status of the aged population with regard to alcohol usage. The dependent variable, alcohol usage patterns among the aged in rural Arizona, will be viewed against a backdrop of such independent variables as: social relationships, retirement status, attitudes toward retirement, religion, time in community, family composition, occupation, income, physical health, pre-retirement drinking patterns, and others. Alcohol usage will be assessed also in terms of life style and norms of retirement and rural life styles as opposed to pre-retirement and urban life styles. The latter contexts are those in terms of which alcohol problems are usually defined. This study will provide greater understanding of the role of alcohol in the lives of the rural aged and it will provide a more informed basis upon which to frame and implement related policy. The methodology will employ both experimental (rural subjects) and control (urban subjects) groups who will be selected by random means. Both field interviews and mailed questionnaires will be used in order to compare methods of collecting sensitive data. Rural subcultural (ethnic and racial) groups will also be compared. Data analysis will be descriptive and analytical, utilizing both univariate and multivariate techniques.